Ph.D. student David Mayo has been selected to receive an L-3 Graduate Fellowship for the 2012-2013 academic year. The award includes a $25,000/year stipend, $1,000 travel budget, and $5,000 to fund an undergraduate research assistant. This make's David the third L-3 Scholar in as many years, joining Greg Gremillion(2010-2011 L-3 Scholar) and Ryan Robinson(2011-2012).

The title of David's research proposal for the fellowship was "Toward Battlefield Ready Micro Air Vehicles: The Aerodynamics of Rotating and Flapping Wings." The proposed research focuses on low Reynolds number aerodynamics for bio-inspired MAV flight. This involves the use of particle image velocimetry to analyze the unsteady flow field inherent to small flapping and rotating wings. David's faculty advisor is Professor Anya Jones

David is originally from Tuskegee, Alabama. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 2006 from Virginia Military Institute, in Lexington, VA and his M.S.E. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2008. His interest in aerodynamics and flight vehicles was first intrigued while observing attack and transport helicopters and planes that were involved in combat missions during his service in the United States Marine Corps. He has participated in internships with the Navy Research Lab focusing on ship fire safety and survivability, and the Army Research Lab (Redstone Arsenal) working on missile propellant sensitivity and projectile aerodynamics. Mayo?s Ph.D. research focuses on the aerodynamics of bio-inspired flight and how insect-like flapping wings generate lift. In his free time, he enjoys riding motorcycles, mentoring young people, and playing his trumpet.